Welcome to Chamber Music on Jay St!
Calling all music lovers — and classical newcomers, too. Join us for one hour of live string quartet music inside the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn. Catch us for four monthly concerts this fall and winter, and bring your friends, your kids, or your date — all are welcome.
Each performance showcases exceptional young talent, including graduates of the Manhattan School of Music, The Juilliard School, and the CUNY Graduate Center, as they take on the breadth and depth of the string quartet and quintet repertoire.
The string quartet remains one of the most enduring and essential forms in classical music — four instruments (two violins, viola, and cello) capable of remarkable intimacy and agility. From Schubert's Death and the Maiden to Hailstork's Variations on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," expect an evening full of drama and musicality.
What to wear: Casual, festive, or dressed up — come as you are.
Suggested donation: $20
This concert series is proudly presented by Sarah Song, in generous collaboration with The Cathedral Basilica of St. James.
Commemorating my parents’ memory through music and location
After my mom passed away from cancer in 2016, my father moved from Houston to Brooklyn and bought an apartment directly across the street from St. James. He was a devout Catholic, so living across from the church felt especially meaningful to him.
He was also incredibly sentimental. When he was choosing between apartments in 2018, he chose the one on Jay Street in part because my mother’s name was Jai. Now that my father has passed as well, creating this series feels like a beautiful way to honor both of my parents through music and bring something they valued throughout their lives into my own community.
